Flames and screaming that woke up everybody on Kossier Island.They fumbled around in the dark and rushed outside to see the island next to them lit up by flames.And in the flickering light they could make out the shadows of swordsmen who ran around hacking,killing and stealing whatever they could carry. They turned to their Mayor, Edward Kossier, the only Mage in the region.

"What are we going to do? It'll be us next. They'll land here and kill every last one of us. Can't you do anything against them? Many of us may know cantrips, but you are the only one who knows real magic.You were trained in Amythest City."

"I am a Mage, but I'm not an ArchMage. We may have plenty of amythest here but I can't take them all down.You know the way these pirates work. I might be able to take a few of them down, but then every single pirate in the area would turn up here and kill me and everybody else, and rape the women as well.That's what they did to the last island that resisted them. And going to the Company would be no help. First they are a three months sail from here.Three months in the hell of the sea, far from land, where anything could happen. Sea Spiders, Sirens, the Silver Fleet, and I've only just begun to list the dangers."

"And the Company would only help us if we let slip the secret of the amythest under our feet.And then they'ed come all right, and drive the pirates away, only they would drive us away too and take our island for themselves. I think we should make an arrangement to pay them tribute once a month as long as they leave us alone. It's in their own interest not to bleed us dry."

A six year old child, a little brown haired girl, stared up at Edward and said "Let's get Big Red to help us."

"Big Red? He's a Kraken. If he thinks of us at all it's as a tasty snack. Why do you think a Kraken would have any interest in helping the people of a small island? What would be in it for him?"

"Amythest? Of course, from the rumours I've heard, Krakens need amythest just like humans do, if they want to cast spells. And there is a potion that will let me speak to the Kraken in his own speech. Of course, if it went wrong I would never come back to you alive." He went to his house and sat alone for a long time, and then he made a small vial of the potion. took a small chunk of amythest, got into his boat and rowed out quietly to where "Big Red" had made his home months ago. Whilst "Big Red" had never so far killed any of the islanders, they had all been careful to stay well clear of him.

As Edward slowly got closer he saw, through the clear water, the Kraken curled up below him. It's yellow eyes, the size of plates, opened, blinked, narrowed slightly, and then a tentacle uncoiled and reached up towards him. He drank the potion, burped, and then spoke in Kraken speech.

"I bring you amythest, and come in peace."

The tentacle broke the sea's surface and then stopped, dripping the seawater all over Edward, who quickly dropped the amythest overboard. A tentacle caught it underwater and brought it close to one of the eyes. Then the Kraken spoke. I have never heard a human speaking my speech before. And I like the amythest. I'm curious. Why do you risk your life to come so close to me? To me you are a light snack.

"Tonight our island is almost certainly going to be attacked. If you drive off the attackers, I will reward you with amythest. Not just a small chunk, but a whole bolder of amythest."

Me likes. Keep your promise, or if you ever come within the range of my tentacles again, I will eat you. Go now, before I change my mind. It took a while for Edward to reach the shore again and by that time his human speech had come back to him. The islanders were clustered together waiting for him to return.

"What happened?"

"I spoke to the Kraken and he agreed to help us, but he wants a bolder of amythest in return. I need you to chop it out of the rock."

"How can you trust a Kraken?"

"Because it needs us. It cannot go on land and chop amythest out of the rock by itself. We can. If we help it, it will help us."

All that day the islanders prepared themselves. Some chopped and chiseled out a large block of amythest, others armed themselves with knives and scythes, others helped those who could not fight, the old and the very young, up to the highest point of the island.

Nobody slept for the first part of that night. Everybody waited under the moon with whatever they could use for weapons.Hours passed and nothing happened and then boats were seen full of armed men rowing in towards them. "At this time of night and armed as they are they must be pirates," Edward said. For a few seconds, an eye broke the surface. It blinked, went under and then tentacles reached around the boats and pulled them under. One by one the pirates were pulled underwater and eaten. 'The emergency is over, we can sleep safely now," said Edward.

The next morning he and the islanders loaded the large chunk of amythest they had chipped free the day before and rowed out in their largest fishing boat to where the Kraken waited. The day before it had been a blackish colour, now it was a deep red. Carefully, they dropped the amythest bolder near the Kraken and it seemed to grow slightly as it touched the amythest.Edward took another vial of potion. Thank you, human. When Krakens are happy, they turn a deep red. I enjoyed that feast of human flesh.No doubt friends of the pirates will return, and then they will see what a Kraken can do. Let's make this permenant. I protect you, you give me amythest.

"Thank you, O Great Kraken."

Call me Big Red. Another thing. Your island is rich in amythest, so why are you not wealthy traders instead of mere subsistance fishermen? I know the value of amythest down here, is it not the same upon the land?"

"It is, Big Red, but a Company takes it all for itself and punishes independent traders."

That is wrong. You should be rich, living a better life then you do and at the same time paying ME more tribute. This island should become a city-state to rival Banhoesea. If a Company tries to stop you they will see what a Kraken can do to them.

An islander came running up to Edward with part of a sea-soaked jacket, which bore the Regulator patch. "They were Regulators, and their kind will seek revenge."

Edward only shrugged. "We have Big Red. The Kraken. He'll protect us from harm. Listen up everybody, we're going to become amythest miners. One bolder in every five must be put aside for our Kraken protector, but the rest is for us. We shall trade. Many people on the islands must surely be fed up of waiting to buy Company amythest. We shall shell it at a cheaper price."

"But then we'll be messing with the Company! They'll take our island from us and sell us into slavery."

"It'll take them a long time to even know what is going on, and longer still to do something about it. And when they do turn up, they'll find we have a Kraken to protect us."

And so the islanders spent several hours a day chipping amythest from the ground.Every day one fifth of the pile was dropped into the sea near Big Red, who Edward saw was visibly growing. Within a week they had started low level trading. A month after that they were allready becoming rich. Merchants were turning up every day bringing new clothes, new fruits from afar, new items of every type for them to buy.

The Regulators did attempt revenge as the islanders had feared, only to have their ship pulled into pieces. Big Red took great pleasure in eating them. After that there were no more Regulator attacks on Kossier Island.

By the time the De Madden Company Admirals recieved the reports that their trade in the region had shrunk to nothing, a new city was growing upon Kossier Island and Big Red had allready tripled in size.

Things had changed greatly in that time. A city of imported pico-wood and inlays of marble was growing upon Kossier Island. When the villages and small towns of the other islands heard that they could buy amythest from there at a full third less then the high price of the monopolistic De Madden Company, mages and merchants came from far and wide. Rather then enrich a few islanders, everyone who could and would mine amythest got an equal share of the money every month. Luxury goods were becoming almost common upon the island and the sea was, in fine weather, safe by Acquan standards to swim in. Large sharks and the like stayed away, not wishing to end their lives in a Kraken beak.

One morning the Impressive, a seven-masted Company warship, sailed up and anchored, and it's captain shouted across with a loudhailer. "I am Captain Halsey of the De Madden Company Fleet, and am here to occupy your island for illegal amythest trading and hold a trial of those responsible. If you refuse to give it, my ship's cannons will reduce your town to rubble."

Krakens had keen ears. Under the water, Big Red turned even redder and then rainbow colours of anger rippled across his body. He had grown huge upon his tribute of one boulder in five. No way was he going to give this up. Tentacles like tree trunks reached up and coiled around the Impressive, and there was a cracking and a grinding sound as they tore the seven master in two as if it was a fishing barge. Screaming sailors went down with the ship, jumped overboard only to drown, or were caught in the tentacles and fed to the largest Kraken beak in Acqua. Big Red fed well that day.